7 blogs you must check out for refashioning inspiration

The final report of the British Parliament Environmental Audit Committee on fast fashion was published on Tuesday this week. It highlights that the average clothing consumption in Britain is the highest in Europe, yet we only wear them for an average of 2.5 times. Moreover, less than 1% of the material used to produce clothing is recycled into new clothing at the end of its life. ‘A glut of second-hand clothing swamping the market is depressing prices for used textiles”, the report also states. And around 300,000 tonnes of textile waste ends up in household black bins every year, sent to landfill or incinerators.

As someone who makes their own clothes, we might think that this really has nothing to do with us. We do not take part in fast fashion, mass consumption or put clothes in the bin. And many times, this could absolutely be the case.

But is there something we could all be doing to support a reuse & recycle textile economy more? The charity shops or thrift stores can be great sources of not only bargains but also fabric and garments that can be upcycled and given a second life.

On Monday I was lucky to be invited to Oxfam’s Fashion Fighting Poverty catwalk show as part of London Fashion Week and that highlighted once again the treasure trove that charity shops can be. You are supporting great causes, saving clothes from landfill and also doing something creative by upcycling potential finds!

Not to mention you can channel a bit of the Alteration Challenge from the Great British Sewing Bee in your own sewing room!

So, here I am with a little bit of refashioning inspiration: I am sharing some of my favourite bloggers that have made upcycling garments an artform! But first…

My golden rules for any upcycling/refashioning project

Don’t cut up something that someone else can wear/use as it is

This is my number one rule! When you are scouring the charity shops looking for things that can be transformed or scavenged for fabric, ask the salesperson if they have any items that they cannot sell. Usually, it’s because they have small rips, missing buttons, broken zipper etc. The charity shop will get some small revenue for something that they would not have been able to resell, you potentially saved an item from landfill and probably bagged a bargain at the same time.

Any garment can be a fabric source

You can sometimes recover a lot of fabric from garments and treat them as fabric. You can then use commercial patterns and sew like you would with a fabric length.

Pre-plan to preserve the original features

Prep before you cut into your garment. Try sketching out the optionf for the new garment so that you incorporate as many of the original features as possible.

Don’t forget the notions

Sometimes a thrifted garment cannot be refashioned, but it might have some great buttons that you’d want to save. Or the zipper, metal bits etc. When I refashioned my wedding dress, I used every single bit of the old one, even the hook and eye.

Dyeing can be a life-saver

Sometimes you can find garments that are made with good quality fabric, but they are a bit faded or have some stains that are still showing. You might want to consider overdyeing, especially if it’s cotton, linen or viscose. It’s a bit more complicated for wool, silk or polyester, but not impossible. Remember to check the instructions carefully!

My favourite refashioning blogs

If you haven’t been living under a rock these past 7 years, it was impossible to miss the annual refashioning bonanza that is Portia Lawrie’s The Refashioners. With a blogger and community aspect, you will get all the inspiration could ever want.

I have dozens of Pinterest inspiration pictures on my refashion board saved from WobiSobi. So if you have an old band t-shirt knocking about, check out this blog for hundreds of ideas of what to with it! And here’s a Pinterest board too!

I’ve been following Jillian for many years and I love her quirky style, funny posts and relentless hunting for fashion bargains than can be transformed with the help of a sewing machine. Unfortunately, the blog has not been updated in a while, but the archives are solid.

Laura is a designer and professional sewer who brings flair to any refashion. I love all her makes and can scroll through her blog for ages. I especially love the DIY accessories, like this bag made from placemats. She also has step by step tutorials for most of her projects.

6 Comments

Elaine Marsh

22 February 2019 / 10:31 AM

What a brilliant article Alex. There’s certainly food for thought in all of upcycling ideas. I do a few myself but you have just increased my ideas. Tho not sure when I am going to fit it into my life. For now just making lists of things to do with my own over capacity and vintage textiles that need to be upcycled in a pretty way and sold on. I like remodeling the clothing I already have, like coats, for one example, for my own use. I’m busy making tailored jackets at the moment. Keep on keeping us inspired Alex.

Thank you, Elaine! I know, I have the same problem with getting upcycling items into your sewing queue. I am also trying really hard not to upcycle just for the sake of it, but actually, turn an unused item into something I want to wear again and again!
So glad you are finding inspiration on my blog!

I tried refashioning upcycling last year when I bought items from the British Heart Foundation charity shops to take part in their challenge to do exactly that recycling! I made a gorgeous cami top from a previously terribly hand made skirt and am slow upcycling some other items and will continue to do so first looking at my own and my family’s wardrobes to see what I can Upcycle from those. Can I add a piccy at all? Jan xxx

I remember that challenge, what a great campaign! I’d love to see the pics, but not sure if you can upload in the comments. You can either ping it to me in an email or post in one of the sewing groups on FB.